Charges are pending following an investigation into a deadly head-on collision in Monroe county.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has identified the drivers involved in Tuesday morning’s crash as 33 year-old Janice Stapleton and 36 year-old Anthony Capp who died in the crash.
According to a preliminary report from THP, Stapleton and Capp were driving opposite directions on Highway 68 near Frontier Road when Stapleton crossed into the opposite lane, hitting Capp head-on.
Additionally, both drivers had children in the car. Stapleton had two juveniles in the car, an 11-year-old and 5 year-old girl who were not wearing seatbelts and were both injured.
Capp had a 7 and 6 year-old boy in the car, the 6 year old was not wearing a seatbelt.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency say a Kingston man has broken a state record for largest paddlefish ever caught.
Henry Dyer caught a paddlefish from Cherokee lake that weighed 149 lbs. The fish was also almost 80 inches (over 6 1/2 feet) in length and almost 45 inches in girth.
The Tennessee Highway Safety Office is joining the Knoxville Police Department to keep pedestrians safe on the road.
So far this year there have been 28 pedestrian involved crashes in Knoxville, killing 4 people.
The increase is concerning for city leaders so Knoxville Police is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office to reduce those numbers , they are reminding drivers and pedestrians to be aware of their surroundings and don’t drive distracted or speed to help protect the people around you.
Buddy Lewis with the Tennessee Highway Safety office says “We talk about numbers but we’ve got to always remember person it’s a person who will not be at home tonight it’s a person who will not be in a family lunch or dinner.”
According to numbers from the state 67 people have died in crashes involving pedestrian so far this year that’s up 48 from the same time last year.
Mayor John Cooper and the mayors from three other major Tennessee cities are urging Governor Bill Lee to consider enacting major changes to the state’s gun laws following the deadly shooting at The Covenant School.
Mayor Cooper of Nashville, Mayor Lee Harris of Shelby County, Mayor Tim Kelly of Chattanooga, and Mayor Indya Kincannon of Knoxville drafted a letter the governor on Wednesday that included a list of recommended actions to reduce gun violence in the state.
The recommendations include:
Require background checks for all gun purchases.
Tennessee should require point-of-sale background checks for all gun purchases, including rifles and shotguns.
This requirement would help close a loophole that currently allows felons and other people who are prohibited from possessing firearms to bypass a background check by buying a gun from an unlicensed seller.
A mandatory background check would screen to make sure the buyer is not legally prohibited from owning firearms due to criminal history.
20 states currently require background checks. Those state laws are associated with lower rates of homicide and suicide by firearm.
A recent poll showed that 88% of Tennesseans support background checks for gun sales.
Implement Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
Known as a “red flag” law, an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) empowers law enforcement and family members to intervene and temporarily prevent those at extreme risk of harming themselves or others from possessing guns.
Law enforcement and immediate family members could petition a civil court for an ERPO to temporarily remove guns from the possession of those at serious risk of harming themselves or others. If a judge finds that there is sufficient evidence, that person is temporarily prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns. The guns they already own will also be held by law enforcement for the duration of the ERPO.
Once the immediate threat of harm to an individual or others is removed, individuals can petition to have the ERPO removed to ensure proper due process.
Tennessee should allow law enforcement to petition a civil court for an ERPO. Petitioners could also include immediate family members and medical professionals. 20 states have already implemented ERPOs.
A recent poll showed that 71% of Tennesseans support adopting red flag laws.
Enhanced safety of the concealed carry law.
Recognizing that Tennessee legislators support concealed carry without a permit, action can still be taken to protect Tennesseans without undoing our state’s overall policy on concealed carry. Tennessee should prohibit individuals who have been convicted of a violent misdemeanor offense from carrying a concealed firearm.
This policy change would follow states like Florida, which eliminated its permit requirement this session while still prohibiting people convicted of violent misdemeanors from carrying in public, but would stop short of banning gun purchases for violent misdemeanants (a law that 15 states including Alabama have in place).
The right to carry a concealed firearm should not be extended to members of society who have proven themselves to be violent. Tennessee should become the 24th state to bar concealed carry by people with violent misdemeanor convictions.
Establish a statewide minimum age for purchasing firearms.
Under Federal law, a gun buyer purchasing from a licensed firearm dealer must be 21 years old to buy a handgun and 18 to buy a long gun. Federal law prohibits someone under 18 from possessing a handgun, but there is no minimum purchase age for long guns bought from an unlicensed seller.
22 states have adopted higher minimum age laws for purchasing firearms. Florida is one of seven states that set the minimum age at 21 for all firearms purchases.
Tennessee should establish a minimum age of 21 to purchase handguns or any centerfire semiautomatic long gun. All other rifles (including .22 rimfire rifles) and shotguns could be purchased at 18 years of age. This policy will make sure that the firearms most likely to be used in violent crimes and mass shootings are less easily attainable for young people.
Require and enable secure storage of guns.
Secure storage laws reduce gun violence and firearm accidents. 25 states currently have laws to prevent children from gaining unauthorized access to firearms.
Tennessee should adopt a secure storage law that penalizes gun owners if a child (under 18 years old) or person prohibited from possessing firearms gains access to a firearm.
A recent poll showed that 82% of Tennesseans support adopting safe storage laws.
The State of Tennessee should also provide funding to any city or county government interested in operating a distribution program for mailing gun locks to residents who request a lock. For example, Shelby County has given out 600 gun locks so far in 2023 at a total cost of less than $10,000.
Limit gun thefts from cars.
Gun thefts from cars are a common problem in Tennessee and contribute to further crime. Tennessee should take action to limit thefts of guns from cars by requiring cars containing a gun to be locked and for the gun to be stored inside a locked compartment within the vehicle.
Ban high-capacity magazines.
Limiting magazines to fewer rounds of ammunition requires a shooter to reload more often, thereby making it more difficult to inflict mass casualties. For reference, the shooter in the Covenant School shooting fired 152 rounds using high-capacity magazines. In the 2019 Dayton, Ohio shooting, the shooter used a drum magazine holding 100 rounds.
High-capacity magazines are typically defined as greater than 10 rounds. 14 states have laws banning high-capacity magazines. States with a ban on high-capacity magazines experience mass shootings at less than half the rate of states without restrictions.
Protect women by prohibiting convicted stalkers from owning guns.
Stalking is linked to the murder of women. 89% of femicide victims who had been physically assaulted had also been stalked in the 12 months before their murder. 54% of femicide victims reported stalking to police before they were killed by their stalkers. (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center)
People convicted of misdemeanor stalking in Tennessee can currently still own a gun. Tennessee should pass a law that prevents convicted stalkers from possessing a firearm. 20 states have laws that ban convicted stalkers from owning guns.
Provide funding for school threat assessment teams to keep schools safe.
School threat assessment teams are trained to identify warning signs and intervene before students commit acts of violence. Such programs are unanimously recommended by school safety experts. In 77% of school shootings, at least one person, most often the shooter’s classmate, had prior knowledge of the shooter’s plan.
Nine states require school threat assessment programs including Kentucky, Florida, and Texas. Numerous other school districts, such as Metro Nashville Public Schools, have implemented threat assessment programs even if not required by state law.
Tennessee already has a law that enables Local Educational Agencies (LEA) to adopt policies to establish threat assessment teams (Section 49-6-2701). The State of Tennessee should now provide funding for school districts that want to form school threat assessment teams to keep their students safe. Additional funding for SROs is helpful to this effort, but it is important to note that school threat assessment teams’ scope goes beyond law enforcement.
Require reporting of lost and stolen guns.
15 states require gun owners to promptly report to law enforcement if a gun is lost or stolen. These reporting requirements allow law enforcement to investigate and track down gun trafficking operations. Laws requiring reporting of lost and stolen guns can reduce illegal gun movement by 46%, according to one study.
Tennessee should require gun owners to report a stolen or missing gun within 72 hours of the incident. Such a law would not restrict gun rights, but evidence suggests it would reduce illegal gun sales by preventing people from claiming a gun was stolen or missing only after it was used in a crime.
The mayors state in the letter that Tennessee has the 12th highest rate of gun deaths in the country over the past four years, and ranks 9th in total deaths by firearms. They also see a direct correlation between the strength of a state’s gun laws and its rate of gun violence, as the six states with the strongest laws rank among the eight safest states.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Athletics’ “Big Orange Caravan” rolls across the state of Tennessee once again this April and May with Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White, head football coach Josh Heupel, men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes and women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper.
A collaborative fan appreciation tour hosted by Tennessee Athletics and the UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Affairs, “Big Orange Caravan” will make stops in Memphis (April 18), Nashville (April 19), Knoxville (April 20), Chattanooga (May 1) and the Tri-Cities (May 3).
Tickets for each tour stop cost $20 and include light food options. A total of $5 of every ticket sold will benefit the local UT Alumni chapter’s scholarship endowment. Tickets are available now at AllVols.com.
Doors to each event open at 5 p.m. local time followed by a meet and greet with the headliners from 5:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m. A cash bar, as well as light food and appetizers, will be available. Each program begins at 6:15 p.m.
Hosted by “The Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, the program will feature fun stories, insight and a Q & A with White and the coaches. The UT Spirit Squads will also be in attendance.
The Nashville tour event will take place on the club level of Nissan Stadium, site of the Volunteers’ 2023 football season-opener vs. Virginia. Tickets for that Sept. 2 game are on sale now through the Nashville Sports Council at Ticketmaster.com.
Monday, May 1 – Chattanooga Time: 5 p.m. doors, 5:30-6:15 p.m. meet and greet, 6:15 p.m. program Venue: Chattanooga Convention Center Address: 1 Carter St., Chattanooga, TN 37402 Tickets: $20 Purchase Now Link
The Knoxville Police Department has released the preliminary crime numbers for the first-quarter of 2023, which are continuing to trend in the right direction after significant decreases were reported in 2022.
As of April 9, 2023, according to preliminary citywide data compiled by the KPD Crime Analysis Unit, murders were down 33 percent compared to the same time in 2022. Additionally, the number of non-fatal shooting victims was down 13 percent year-to-date from 2022, while robberies were down nearly 30 percent, vehicle burglaries were down 16 percent, and motor vehicle thefts were down 10 percent. All reported property crimes were down 14 percent citywide, including a nearly 30-percent drop in reports of burglary or breaking and entering.
“I am proud of the men and women of our department for their exceptional work through the first quarter of the year,” Chief of Police Paul Noel said. “I believe these numbers are a reflection of our officers’ unerring commitment to our fundamental mission as an organization to reduce crime. There is still work to be done, as always, but I am encouraged by the first-quarter data and very proud of our department’s collective efforts.”
Through April 9, 2023, the number of murders and non-fatal shooting victims in the East District were down 50 and 29 percent respectively compared to the same time in 2022. In the Central District, murders were down 100 percent, while aggravated assaults and robberies were down 24 and 31 percent, respectively. In the West District, robbery was down 33 percent, while vehicle burglaries and burglary reports were down 35 and 38 percent, respectively.
Two men trapped in a trench collapse are both freed and one man remains hospitalized.
Officials with the Knoxville Fire Department are still investigating yesterday’s incident at a construction site on East Inskip Road.
Both men were responsive when taken to the hospital. They were employed by Davie Construction, working about four feet under the ground at an apartment construction site looking for a water leak when the trench collapsed.
KFD says one of the men was “minimally” trapped at the ankle while the other was trapped from the waist below in quarter-sized rock and mud from the leak. KFD officials say what makes this type of accident life threatening is something that’s called compartment syndrome. It’s what happens after intense and prolonged pressure is relieved form the men’s legs which could cause internal issues.
Update: A head-on crash in Monroe County leaves one person dead, others flown to hospital by helicopter.
This morning’s accident happened on Highway 68 near Frontier Road in the Christianburg neighborhood.
Authorities say that three people were in one car and two in the other. The driver of the other car was taken to the hospital, their condition has not been released.
Tennessee Highway Patrol is Investigating and officials are asking people not to post pictures on social media.
Original Story: Authorities are investigating a serious accident in Monroe County this morning.
Three medical helicopters called to the scene of the Highway 68 near Frontier Road accident in the Christianburg neighborhood this morning according to Monroe County Emergency Management Agency.
The highway closed from Watson’s Chapel Road to the 911 Center to allow the helicopters to land.
MCEMA officials are asking people to avoid posting pictures on social media.
Tennessee concluded spring practice Saturday in front of 58,473 at Neyland Stadium, with JT Carver’s 40-yard field goal in the closing minutes lifting the White to a 17-14 victory over the Orange in an evenly-matched Orange & White Game.
The attendance ranked as the sixth largest in Orange & White Game history.
“What a beautiful day inside Neyland Stadium for the future of our program,” said head coach Josh Heupel. “Over 58,000 people showing up here on Rocky Top. Unbelievable turnout from our fanbase, absolute best in the country. I thank them for the energy they created outside the stadium with everything we had going on this week. That was hugely important. (Thank you) to our VFLs that showed up. It was a great weekend to celebrate what they have done, what they have meant to our program and do mean to our program, and celebrate what’s going on here currently and what we’re going to continue to build together with them.”
Three Vol quarterbacks alternated possessions for both squads on the sun-drenched afternoon, getting points on all four trips inside the red zone and amassing 464 yards of total offense. Freshman Nico Iamaleava finished 8-of-16 for 112 yards, redshirt senior Joe Milton III went 9-of-13 for 79 yards and a touchdown and redshirt junior Gaston Moore finished 8-of-11 for 94 yards with a pair of TD tosses. Combined, the trio finished 25-of-40 for 285 yards.
Moore directed both of his scoring drives in the first half. He found freshman wide receiver Dayton Sneed in the back corner of the end zone to put the White up 7-0 with 10:40 left in the first quarter. Moore later knotted the score at 7-7 with a second remaining in the frame via a four-yard toss to redshirt senior tight end Hunter Salmon for the Orange. Charles Campbell, a redshirt senior and transfer from Indiana, kicked both extra points.
Milton led the White to a score and back into the lead later in the second frame. After connecting with redshirt freshman wide receiver Kaleb Webb for 39 yards earlier in the drive, Milton found Webb again for a four-yard touchdown toss. Carver followed with the PAT to make it 14-7 with 3:47 on the clock.
Just before the half, Iamaleava guided the Orange 75 yards in nine plays, with freshman running back Cameron Seldon bursting free for a 24-yard scoring scamper. Campbell’s kick sent the game into halftime at 14-all.
The only score of the second half was Carver’s kick with just over three minutes remaining, and Iamaleava was under center for what turned out to be the game-winning drive. His 16-yard pass to freshman tight end Ethan Davis was a key play in moving the White into scoring range.
Backfield standouts on the day included freshman running back DeSean Bishop, who rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 24 carries, and freshman running back Cameron Seldon, who tallied 43 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries along with three receptions for 43 yards.
Davis was the leading receiver, hauling in three balls for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Webb finished with 50 yards and a score on three catches. Redshirt senior receiver Michael Bittner had two catches for 44 yards, and Sneed tallied two receptions for 24 yards and a score.
Defensively, redshirt freshman defensive back Cameron Miller and redshirt senior Wesley Walker registered six tackles each. Miller added a sack and an interception. Junior defensive back Christian Charles was in on three stops and came up with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
In addition to the perfect day from the Vol kickers, redshirt sophomore Kolby Morgan averaged 46.5 yards on four punts. He had a long boot of 55 yards.
The Vols open year three of the Heupel era on Sept. 2 against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee puts the finishing touches on spring football as fans will get a chance to see the 2023 Volunteers at the Orange & White Game on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Start time is 2:30 p.m. For complete information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
Tickets Admission to the Orange & White Game is $5 for non-premium seats, and all proceeds will count as a contribution to the My All Campaign. All seats can be secured now at AllVols.com or by calling the UT Athletic Ticket Office at (865) 656-1200. Due to limited seating, fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. All tickets will be digital and can be accessed via a mobile device—identical to the regular season. Fans coming to campus without a ticket will be able to purchase tickets from QR codes and signage located all around campus, as well as at the Gate 11 and Gate 21 ticket booths. Staff will be available to assist at Gates 21 and 23.
Seating/Entrance All open sections of the bowl of Neyland Stadium will be general admission seating. The south end of Neyland Stadium will be closed as progress continues on several fan experience enhancements. Sections G through Q and GG through QQ will be closed, as well as gates 1 through 12. Fans can access general admission seating of Neyland Stadium through the following gates: 13, 14, 15-A, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22 and 23. The stadium’s clear bag policy will be in effect, and gates will open at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as a large crowd is expected and limited gates will be in use due to the closure of the south end of the stadium.
Broadcast Info The contest will air digitally on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ with Justin Kutcher and Jordan Rodgers on the call. SECN+/ESPN+ goes live at 2 p.m. and will feature interviews and show warmups. Vol Network pregame show begins at 2:15 p.m. and leads into the broadcast featuring the “Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, VFLs Pat Ryan and Chris Brown and Brent Hubbs.
Parking On-campus parking lots will open at 7 a.m. View the parking map here. Parking shuttles will begin at 11:30 a.m. from the Stephenson Drive Lot 14 and Ag Campus. The Stephenson Drive Lot 14 unload and pickup will be on Chamique Holdsclaw Drive. Fans from Ag Campus can board buses at River Drive across from the CF lot and then be transported to Circle Park. For fans coming from downtown Knoxville, the Orange Line Trolley will provide free transportation and drop off on Volunteer Boulevard. Free public parking will be available at the following lots:
Ag Campus
G10 Garage via Neyland Drive entry
11th Street Garage at 1100 Cumberland Ave.
White Avenue Garage at 1621 White Ave.
G17 Garage at 1800 Lake Ave.
Vol Village Music Festival The first-ever Vol Village Music Festival presented by Miller Lite and Twisted Tea will take place in Lot 9 from noon-2 p.m. Hosted by VFL DJ Sterl, the free festival will be headlined by top 50 Billboard country charts artist Matt Stillwell as well as Knoxville native Emily Ann Roberts. Vol Village will feature food trucks, sponsor activations and fun activities for all ages. A pep rally featuring the Pride of the Southland Pep Band and Tennessee Spirit Squads is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. and will lead into the performing artists.
Format Offense will wear white jerseys and be on the home sideline. Defense will wear orange jerseys and be on the visiting sideline. Quarterbacks will wear Smokey Grey jersey tops. Normal game scoring will apply with offense (while wearing white jerseys) alternating possessions for Orange and White. The first half will be timed normally with two 15-minute quarters. There will be a 10-minute halftime before a second half that features a running clock.
